Greg Graffin

BEST KNOWN AS: the lead singer, principal songwriter and sole original member of the SoCal punk-rock band Bad Religion

THE INTEL: A few years after forming his band at the age of 15, Graffin was accepted into UCLA (with what we’re guessing was one heck of a college-application essay). In the course of earning a B.S. in zoology and an M.S. in paleontology, Graffin did field research in Mexico and the Amazon Basin. In 2003, he was awarded a Ph.D. from Cornell, where he is currently teaching classes in evolution. And yes, Graffin is still making music: a new Bad Religion album is now in the mixing stage.